Any tips on driving a stick?

[BIRD67]

Okay, yesterday my uncle took me up to his parents house so he could teach me how to drive a stick.. Now he likves in the backwoods so it proved rather difficult to drive.. The truck is a '93 Ford Ranger with a 4 banger and a 5 speed.. I learned that I am not very good with my eye-hand-foot coordination.. I must have stalled the truck at least 75 times yesterday.. DOes anybody have any really good tips on driving a stick shift? I am 15 so I am starting young.. I had a bad habit of riding the clutch.. It was hard to shift because the scyncros (I think I spelled that wrong..) are screwed up.. I am going to be practicing every Saturday..

[WingCharger]

Just got to tell when your engine is ready to be shifted, and to keep the engine running high enough for that gear. Once you get used to it, you won't want to drive a automatic.

[472 R/T SE]

Aaah yes, to be 15 again.  I had a bodacious blonde teach me how to drive her /6 '70, 3 speed Camaro when I was that age.
I was to eventually own it so she was "teaching" me.

If the rig is set up right you'll feel the clutch start to grab when you almost completely let off.  That's when you start giving it fuel.

You need to find an incline to where the rig rolls backwards so you can practice judging where the clutch grabs.  The stops & taking off are the hardest parts.  I suggest downshifting when you come to a stop to get a hang of grabbing gears.

I'm sure some folks will want to say I'm full of sh%t but it's worked for me.  I was running two gear boxed oilfield rigs outta high school...

[BIRD67]

Aaah yes, to be 15 again.  I had a bodacious blonde teach me how to drive her /6 '70, 3 speed Camaro.
I was to eventually own it so she was "teaching" me.

If the rig is set up right you'll feel the clutch start to grab when you almost completely let off.  That's when you start giving it fuel.

You need to find an incline to where the rig rolls backwards so you can practice judging where the clutch grabs.  The stops & taking off are the hardest parts.  I suggest downshifting when you come to a stop to get a hang of grabbing gears.

I'm sure folks will want to say I'm full of sh%t but it's worked for me.  I was running two gear boxed oilfield rigs outta high school...

That is exactly what my uncle had me do.. SInce we were in the backwoods it was really hard because the truck kept wanting to bottom out..

[Mike DC]

Aaah yes, to be 15 again.  I had a bodacious blonde teach me how to drive her /6 '70, 3 speed Camaro.
I was to eventually own it so she was "teaching" me.

Hmm . . . was that all she taught you?   

[Tilar]

You need to find an incline to where the rig rolls backwards so you can practice judging where the clutch grabs.  The stops & taking off are the hardest parts.  I suggest downshifting when you come to a stop to get a hang of grabbing gears.

That's kinda what I would suggest. Even if you just do starts and stops on level ground until you get comfortable with it. Once you're comfortable with that, shifting will be a piece of cake.

[Silver R/T]

been driving stick since I was 17, easiest things I've learned in my life.

[Ghoste]

.. I learned that I am not very good with my eye-hand-foot coordination.. I must have stalled the truck at least 75 times yesterday..

Don't be too hard on yourself, it's just a case of practicing.  Relax and feel what the car is doing around you, it'll come.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

  A real simple way to get a feel for engaging the clutch is to adjust the engine idle up on the carb to something like 1300 RPM, then on level ground push in the clutch pedal, put the trans in first gear then just practice letting the clutch out slowly and smoothly until the vehicle is underway (Without touching the accelerator pedal), then push the clutch in and apply the brakes to come to a stop then start all over again.

[Brightyellow69rtse]

youll get it it just takes a bit of time. if you can find a atv or dirt bike this should help you quite a bit just top get the idea of it.

i learned to drive a stick when i bought my charger in 1999 i was 19 lol.  the tranny was trashed when i bought it so i figured why not learn on now lol.  it was rough for while, the new cars are night and day to drive over the older ones. new cars trannys just pretty juch find their way into gear. the old 4 speeds you gotta PUT em in gear.

i prefer sticks if at all possible.

oh yeah dont sleep on the clutch. get on it and get off it.

[wayfast1500]

Grind em till you find em! If the truck has 4w/d put it in 4 low.  That will help you feel the friction point.  Within a week or 2 you won't even have to think about it and it's like riding a bike, after a few years of autos I got a 5 speed firebird and never stalled when I jumped in it.

[C_stripes]

I wish I knew how to drive a stick.     

[Rolling_Thunder]

I learned when I was 13 myself...      it just takes time...   I learned in about 10 minutes but was not comfortable with it until i had about 30-40 hours of practice...    shifting becomes second nature and you don't even think about it after a while...    sounds weird now but you'll know what I mean. 

[Todd Wilson]

Be thankful its not a non synchro 4 speed!   


The clutch takes time. Take it easy on everything and it will eventually come to you.


Todd

[mauve66]

  A real simple way to get a feel for engaging the clutch is to adjust the engine idle up on the carb to something like 1300 RPM, then on level ground push in the clutch pedal, put the trans in first gear then just practice letting the clutch out slowly and smoothly until the vehicle is underway (Without touching the accelerator pedal), then push the clutch in and apply the brakes to come to a stop then start all over again.

exactly how i would teach, (even if you don't have a carb equipped vehicle to practice on, the principle is still the same) you have to get used to hearing/feeling the moment of engagment (keep the stereo off) let the clutch out slowly until you hear/feel it then push it back in, REPEAT it until you get comfortable with the angle of your leg doing this than move to the next step, adding the accelerator pedal as you let COMPLETELY off the clutch pedal then push it back in and come to a stop then REPEAT until its smooth. don't be in a rush to get to 5th gear, 2-5th gear changes are easy once you get the feel down in 1st gear

[bull]

Driving a stick is more art than science. It just takes a lot of practice unless you've got an innate talent for it.

[dodgecharger-fan]

and you have to re-learn the "feel" in every car you get in to - but it IS easier once you've learned in one car because you know what you're looking for.

[bigcountry]

Just rev 'er up to about 2800 rpm and let the clutch pedal go   That should get ya moving

[2Gunz]

Everytime I have taught how to drive standard, I have explained how the clutch works.

This seems to dramatically decrease the learning time.

Its no longer a mystery and why its stalling makes sense.

When i was 14 I taught a very inept woman who was about 30 to drive a stick.
We where stranded and it was the only option short of me driving...... which she didnt go for.
Didnt take very long to tech her but in her favor it was a honda and REALLY easy to drive.


Anyway if you dont know EXACTLY how the clutch works go read.

If you do then I got nothing!

Happy gear mashing!

[moparnole]

Simple, just get the revs up to about 4500, then take your foot off the clutch real quick,lol.
But really in my Supra I just start it off at about 1,500 rpm's, then give it clutch and off I go. I usually shift at about 3000-5000, depending on my mood, and how fast I want to go. Just keep practicing, and you will get it, It took my a while to stop going to first when I wanted to go to third, or wanting 4th, but getting 2nd.

[Skinypete]

To get a feel for where the clutch catches, put the ranger in 4-low.  You should be able to let the clutch out and not have to hit the gas.  When you get the hang of that take it out of 4-low.  Thats how I learned to drive my 94 Jeep Cherokee in my back yard.

[Neal_J]

Clutch In, Shift, Clutch Out.  The rest is practice and feathering the throttle.

That's how I learned.

Neal

[Ghoste]

If it helps I could loan you my father and he could holler at you for even the slightest error.  It didn't seem like much help at the time when he did it to me but I seemed to figure it out anyway so it must not have hurt. 

[BIRD67]

If it helps I could loan you my father and he could holler at you for even the slightest error.  It didn't seem like much help at the time when he did it to me but I seemed to figure it out anyway so it must not have hurt. 

Ahh, thanks for the offer man, but ahh, no thanks! I get hollerd at enough here and at school, last thing I need is another person hollering at me

[jaak]

Man this just makes me think of memories... when I was like 10 or 11 my Dad had a 75 Dart, Slant 6, 3 speed column shift, I remember me asking him wheres the thing that says P,R,D and so on. He explained to me it was straight shift, then explained it to me while he was driving.. then he would let me set next to him (bench seat) and when it came time to shift gears, he'd let me shift. When I got a little older I learned to drive in a pickup.
All the trucks I owned in my late teens early 20's was all sticks, then when I was 24 I bought my first automatic, I am still driving it today... 8 years later.
I guess being in my 30's now, I would hate to have a stick for a daily driver, but I got the 73 Charger to take for a spin when I get the itching to bang my own gears.

Jason

[mauve66]

To get a feel for where the clutch catches, put the ranger in 4-low.  You should be able to let the clutch out and not have to hit the gas.  When you get the hang of that take it out of 4-low.  Thats how I learned to drive my 94 Jeep Cherokee in my back yard.

your avatars' not a pic of your backyard is it??

[green69rt]

  A real simple way to get a feel for engaging the clutch is to adjust the engine idle up on the carb to something like 1300 RPM, then on level ground push in the clutch pedal, put the trans in first gear then just practice letting the clutch out slowly and smoothly until the vehicle is underway (Without touching the accelerator pedal), then push the clutch in and apply the brakes to come to a stop then start all over again.

exactly how i would teach, (even if you don't have a carb equipped vehicle to practice on, the principle is still the same) you have to get used to hearing/feeling the moment of engagment (keep the stereo off) let the clutch out slowly until you hear/feel it then push it back in, REPEAT it until you get comfortable with the angle of your leg doing this than move to the next step, adding the accelerator pedal as you let COMPLETELY off the clutch pedal then push it back in and come to a stop then REPEAT until its smooth. don't be in a rush to get to 5th gear, 2-5th gear changes are easy once you get the feel down in 1st gear

This is the way I learned and it works ok.  It took a while but it works!  I had a brother that tried to teach me on a hill and all that happened it that I ended up stalling out when I panicked and popped the clutch.  Keep woking at it, it takes practice so practice whenever you can.  soon it will become automatic and you will wonder why people make a big deal of it.

[Old Moparz]

It's always best to learn how to drive stick on someone else's car.   

[Brightyellow69rtse]

If it helps I could loan you my father and he could holler at you for even the slightest error.  It didn't seem like much help at the time when he did it to me but I seemed to figure it out anyway so it must not have hurt. 

lol maybe we got the same dad. i thought he was gonna stroke out on me. the first time i took it out i went from 4th to first lmao. the cars got 4.10s so i wasnt going too fast. but i tell ya she her ass was hoping all over the road after that one.

after a while youll be drinking a coffee, playing with your i pod while texting on your cell phone, and bangin through the gears and not even realize your shifitng. its a natural thing after a while.

[Ghoste]

Until you get caught in stop and go traffic and your left leg turns to rubber, then you will curse the day you ever learned to drive a stick.

[aussiemuscle]

Just rev 'er up to about 2800 rpm and let the clutch pedal go   That should get ya moving

when i taught other people to drive stick shift, i've had to repeat over and over "go slow with the clutch"...

[suntech]

Aaah yes, to be 15 again.  I had a bodacious blonde teach me how to drive her /6 '70, 3 speed Camaro when I was that age.
I was to eventually own it so she was "teaching" me.

Sounds like good old days..............beeing 15, and have a blonde to teach you how to use the stick!! 

[472 R/T SE]

Aaah yes, to be 15 again.  I had a bodacious blonde teach me how to drive her /6 '70, 3 speed Camaro when I was that age.
I was to eventually own it so she was "teaching" me.

Sounds like good old days..............beeing 15, and have a blonde to teach you how to use the stick!! 

She worked for my Mom, seems my Mom always had lookers for friends or co workers.

I remember being taken to Ellis, the next town over to stay with my grandma so my Mom & the girls could go out on the town.
Jean, (the stacked blond) was in back with me.  We barely got out of town and Jean was buttoning up her blouse.  The things I did to her with my eyes...

[Skinypete]

To get a feel for where the clutch catches, put the ranger in 4-low.  You should be able to let the clutch out and not have to hit the gas.  When you get the hang of that take it out of 4-low.  Thats how I learned to drive my 94 Jeep Cherokee in my back yard.

your avatars' not a pic of your backyard is it??

No thats not my backyard...That was a mistake taking a stock jeep into a puddle (correction lake) that i didn't know how deep it was.

[NHCharger]

I learned on a "three on the tree". It's just a matter of practice. Starting on a hill can be tricky for a beginner since it involves heel/toe work between the brake and gas.

[CharcoalCharger]

I first learned to drive stick on a really old Datsun pickup my uncle had on his farm when I was 13.  He told me to get it out from the barn.  It had dust/crap all over it from the chickens.  He told me to wash it and drive it up to the field he was in, we had loaded it with fertilizer.  I had no trouble getting it out of the barn, but where I parked it to wash it was a slight incline.  I never could get the truck going after I washed it.  I even drifted back pretty far.  After I didn't show up when I was supposed to, my uncle came back down.  In 5 minutes he taught me how to drive it and every car, except 2, that I have had since then have been stick.  I had to get autos, the wife can't drive stick.  It does just take practice.  Soon you'll be driving around and you won't have to "think" about what you are doing...and you'll love it. 

[LeadfootBob]

The really fun part is learning to drive a range/split box in a big rig... 6 gears, each with a split and a second pattern on top (1-6, 1-6/split, 7-12, 7-12/split). The first few weeks is all guesswork, especially while traversing intersections or going up hills with a load in the back. Thankfully my first real "rig" was a Scania with the 14.3 liter (880 cui or so), 500 horseys and over 1000nm's of torque. Started in fifth gear without the least hint of hesitation if I felt like beating up the driveshafts a bit 

[Road Dog]

Learn on gravel or dirt. Less apt to stall and abit easier on the vehicle too.

[RECHRGD]

When I was 13 my Dad had a new '61 corvette with a 4 speed.  We lived on a deadend street with a pretty good incline.  He would reward me when I cleaned and waxed it for him by letting drive it up and down the street.  With the seat as far front as it would go and a couple of pillows under my butt, I could just barely reach the pedals.  After a few stalls and a few black streaks on the road, I got the hang of it.  Needless to say that corvette was the cleanest in town.   Bob

[68X426]

Hey BIRD67: haven't you heard? It's the era of being green and enviro-conscious! Take public transit! 

[oldrock]

You have already received some great advice but I will just say bumping up the idle is one of the most helpful things you can do when starting out. Takes one of the harder things out of the equation when trying to learn how to let the clutch out slow so you don't bog the engine. The other thing I always tell people is to try to rollyour foot up using the heel of your left foot as a pivot. It gives you alot more control on letting the clutch out smoothly. I've taught several people how to drive a stick and with the heel roll trick plus the fast idle, it usually only takes a couple hours and they have the hang of it.
Good luck and enjoy! Driving a stick is alot of fun

[PocketThunder]

Needless to say that corvette was the cleanest in town.   Bob

I bet!      

[bigred68]

"Any tips on driving a stick?"
DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT

[chargergirl]

  A real simple way to get a feel for engaging the clutch is to adjust the engine idle up on the carb to something like 1300 RPM, then on level ground push in the clutch pedal, put the trans in first gear then just practice letting the clutch out slowly and smoothly until the vehicle is underway (Without touching the accelerator pedal), then push the clutch in and apply the brakes to come to a stop then start all over again.

exactly how i would teach, (even if you don't have a carb equipped vehicle to practice on, the principle is still the same) you have to get used to hearing/feeling the moment of engagment (keep the stereo off) let the clutch out slowly until you hear/feel it then push it back in, REPEAT it until you get comfortable with the angle of your leg doing this than move to the next step, adding the accelerator pedal as you let COMPLETELY off the clutch pedal then push it back in and come to a stop then REPEAT until its smooth. don't be in a rush to get to 5th gear, 2-5th gear changes are easy once you get the feel down in 1st gear

About to suggest the same you guys have it down. I, according to my mom, "cut my teeth on a stick". Up and down hills in Maui. Great turns. I'm getting my 5 speed back and looking forward to making her "chirp" in all five gears. Get used to the clutch first. Don't touch the gas...figure out where she starts to sputter...right before the head banging lurch. You'll find that you will get this relatively quickly. My moms final test was a hairpin turn at a 45 degree angle...she reached over and turned off the key in a VW Bug. I rarely had yelled at my mom...I hit the brakes and the clutch, pulled the emergency brake and restarted the car, while telling her she had lost her mind. She smiled and said your ready to take your test! You'll make it if you follow their instructions...easily!